Providence Portland guest housing project underway

Providence Portland Medical Center has begun work on a new housing project for visiting patients and their families.

The $6 million, 30-unit guest housing facility is scheduled to open in 2015. It will replace an aging six-unit apartment building currently used for patients who come to the medical center at 4805 N.E. Glisan St. from outside of the area.

Providence Portland officials say the demand for guest housing already far exceeds what the small apartment building can accommodate. The need for additional guest housing is expected to increase later this year when the medical facility opens high-risk obstetrics and neonatal intensive care units.

This will transform our hospital campus and neighborhood, says Providence Portland Medical Center chief executive Paul Gaden. It will ease the way of our patients and their families  it will be their home away from home.

The project will be built on the site of the former Moore Lithograph building, just a few block west of the medical center, which is currently being demolished. Crews will complete the demolition over the summer, and construction on the new housing project will begin in August.

The guest housing project has been in the works for years and is funded solely through the philanthropy of Providence supporters, including Windermere Stellar. Every agent contributed to the $200,000 gift from Windermere which will help complete the living room and kitchen of the guest housing facility.

We are so proud to be part of this project and proud to give back to our community, says Brian Allen, owner, Windermere Stellar. We understand the importance of home as a place of refuge and a place of healing. For the patients going through treatment, and their families, this will be a sanctuary.

Metastatic melanoma survivor Mark Williams agreed. Told seven years ago he had just months to live, Williams sought treatment at Providence Cancer Center and today mentors other cancer patients from near and far when they come to Providence for care.

The cancer center treats patients from hundreds and, sometimes, thousands of miles away, Williams said. This guest housing facility will be a safe and holy place for respite; it will be priceless when a patient is going through a difficult time.